Various types of animal-proof refuse containers have been proposed for use in parks, camp grounds and the like. Bears, wolves and deer are particularly powerful animals and normally have little difficulty in upsetting refuse containers and spreading the contents thereof throughout the camp grounds. It is obvious that such animals not only create a mess but also present a danger to campers and vacationers and, accordingly, it would be desirable to discourage their visits to camp grounds.
One attempt at overcoming the foregoing problem was to provide a small building having a door which can be locked and which contains refuse containers either of the conventional, metal can or plastic garbage bag type normally used for domestic use. While such a building is normally effective to keep scavenging animals away from the refuse, there are a number of drawbacks. Firstly, it is not economically feasible or aesthetically pleasing to provide as many buildings as are necessary to adequately service the camp grounds or parks. As a result, the buildings tend not to be used and the problem is not solved. Secondly, because the buildings have a relatively large capacity, they are generally not emptied as frequently as they should be and this results in an unpleasant odor in the vicinity of the building. This, in turn, renders the task of emptying the building rather unpleasant. Thirdly, again because of the large capacity, it is time consuming to manually empty the buildings. Fourthly, the buildings tend to attract vermin. Thus, this solution has a number of significant disadvantages.
Another attempt at overcoming this problem was to provide special enclosures for conventional domestic refuse cans. Generally, such enclosures tend to be in the form of concrete boxes which normally enclose two refuse cans and have one open side wall provided with a single removable steel bar. It has been found that bears have had no difficulty in removing the bar and thereby attaining access at the refuse containers. In addition, the containers and enclosures tend to be unsightly.
A still further attempt involves the use of commercial heavy steel refuse containers having a capacity of five or six cubic yards. These containers are emptied by conventional refuse collection vehicles having front end overloaders. It has been found that bears have had little difficulty in upsetting these containers. Furthermore, such containers require special refuse vehicles which do not operate efficiently in such an environment.
Still another solution to the aforementioned difficulty is the provision of a conventional refuse can fitted with a special cover reciprocably mounted on an upright post anchored into a concrete slab upon which the container sits. Such containers have low capacity, are inconvenient to empty and are not entirely animal-proof.